Rich Indians Seek Drivers Who Go the Extra Mile

The drivers at the Institute of Chauffeur Services learn the art of the tie-knot.

Rich Indians are lapping up luxury vehicles from brands likes Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Mercedes like never before. But, as in other emerging markets, many owners rarely get behind the wheel and prefer to leave the driving to a chauffeur.

Now, a service based in Mumbai aims to polish up the chauffeurs to match their employers’ high-end vehicles.

The Institute of Chauffeur Services, which opened earlier this year, currently has about 600 students. The cost of chauffeur school is 5,400 rupees, or about $120, per student and the course lasts two months. All of the drivers are sent by their employers­‑the cost of the course is beyond the reach of most chauffeurs.

The drivers are taught to shave and bathe daily, avoid eating raw onions, polish their shoes, use hand sanitizer after meals and refrain from eating in the car, says Alam Khan, a hospitality industry veteran who is the Institute’s head of training.

The school also teaches drivers etiquette, anger-management skills and, of course, vehicle maintenance.

India’s luxury car market is still in its infancy, and is far behind even that of emerging rivals China and Russia. But sales of luxury cars have risen sharply in recent years. Overall, the sales of luxury cars have risen by 36% during the past year according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

But some luxury-car sellers say that poorly trained chauffeurs can tarnish the image they want to sell.

“It wasn’t good for our brand to have the driver of an Audi A8 that costs over $200,000 spitting out of the window or driving it stupidly, honking and switching lanes every few seconds,” says Munaf Meghani, who runs a dealership selling Audi and Honda cars in Mumbai. Mr. Meghani now gives the buyers of his cars a voucher entitling them to send their drivers to the Institute for free.

Mangesh Bagkar, 33, who has been a driver for 16 years in Mumbai, says the training was very useful. “They taught me not interrupt my employer. In India we never let anyone finish a sentence. And I was told to sense an owner’s mood – whether he feels like talking or not.”

Investment banker Amin Merchant, who founded the chauffeur school, says there is a disconnect between the owners and drivers of luxury cars in India.

“The owner and car are at one end of the spectrum and the drivers are at the other end,” says Mr. Merchant, who is planning to open chauffeur schools in three more Indian cities by the end of 2011.

Chauffeurs can command a relatively decent salary of between 10,000 to 18,000 rupees (US$223 to US$400 per month). But that pales compared to the riches of India’s new wealthy elite.

Mr. Merchant says he hopes the training course will help improve the lot of chauffeurs by making them more skilled and giving them a sense of pride in their work.

“I’m really pleased that we have turned chauffeuring into a profession, unlike driving which has no social respect,” says Mr. Merchant. “Drivers who used to tell me they would never let their sons become drivers are now saying it’s a good career for them.”